Colorado Democrats took care of business in the state legislature

Colorado State Rep. Rhonda Fields, far left, hugs Assistant Majority leader Dan Pabon at the same time that Rep. Sue Schafer of District 4 gets a hug from fellow Rep. Ray Scott, District 55, as they mark the end of the 2013 session in the Colorado House on May 8. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

Editor’s note: For the Republican summary of the legislative session, click here.

By Dickey Lee Hullinghorst and Dan PabonGuest Commentary

Imagine your state government as a car. Now imagine this car with bald tires and a slipping transmission and needing an oil change 30,000 miles ago.

For reasons we’ll explain, this car is the state government, and the voters handed us the keys when they granted us the legislative majority last November.

We wasted no time getting under the hood, focusing on the engine of our state: our economy.

We started by promoting job growth. We ensured that more of our taxpayer dollars will stay in Colorado, supporting Colorado businesses and creating jobs for Coloradans, not companies and workers out of state or overseas. And we invested in training programs that will help the Colorado workforce match up with the 21st century jobs that are available today.

Colorado’s advanced industries already account for 30 percent of the state’s GDP and hundreds of thousands of jobs. By encouraging public-private partnerships, increasing access to capital and helping to provide entrée to export markets, we’re partnering with these industries to create more good-paying jobs and help move past Colorado’s cyclical economy. We need a stronger and more sustainable economy that places a premium on creativity and innovation.

We increased our investment in the state’s Small Business Development Center system, important incubators for startups to grow and hire. We reformed the state enterprise zone system to focus it on what it should have been doing: creating jobs. And we moved toward ensuring that Colorado’s small businesses are competing on a level playing by requiring large online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for their Colorado transactions.

Taken together, these initiatives will have a significant positive impact on jobs and prosperity in our state.

We also focused on the greatest economic development tool we have: our education system. We started to fill in some of the budget cuts our schools have received in recent years. We passed a reform of Colorado’s school finance formula to increase equity and expand accountability across the state. And we’re making good on our K-12 investment by giving more graduates of Colorado high schools a shot at an affordable college education. When we can get more young Coloradans to make a larger contribution to our state’s prosperity, we all benefit.

We also made our communities safer. Spurred by a series of disasters in 2012, we passed an extensive package of legislation to reduce the risk of wildfires. We made it harder for domestic violence offenders and other criminals to get firearms, and we took steps to reduce the chances that the horrors of Aurora and Columbine will be repeated. We tightened reporting requirements for oil spills and strengthened the child welfare system.

We gave prosecutors an important new tool to hold criminals accountable when they cause the loss of a woman’s pregnancy through intentional or reckless criminal behavior, without infringing on women’s reproductive rights.

We made new investments in Water Conservation Board programs and projects, so we can protect our most precious natural resources while creating jobs in communities across Colorado.

We got the state government out of the business of deciding which loving couples should have legal rights and responsibilities like medical care and hospital visitation, the ability to adopt a partner’s child, and eligibility for family leave benefits.

We helped to ensure that all Coloradans have recourse for workplace discrimination.

We reformed our mental health system, creating a coordinated behavioral health crisis response hotline and a system of emergency centers for individuals who are experiencing mental health crises. We’re creating a transitional residential community to provide substance abuse treatment, medical care, job training and skills development for the homeless. And we’re extending eligibility for Medicaid to an additional quarter of a million Coloradans, which will reduce state spending on uncompensated care, create 22,000 new jobs and boost the state’s economy by making our workforce healthier.

The two of us coauthored a bill simplifying and standardizing the voting process across Colorado, saving counties at least $9.5 million per year in election expenses, increasing voting options and access and taking new steps to prevent fraud, ensuring the integrity of the democratic process.

Facing a long list of problems, we used this road map to pass a long list of solutions. It was an extraordinarily busy and productive legislative session. And as a result, Colorado will be more prosperous, better educated, healthier and safer.

Fully 95 percent of the bills passed by the legislature this year had some measure of bipartisan support. Unfortunately, on many of the most important issues the House GOP declined to partner with us, or even to engage in meaningful dialogue. That’s sad, because the bipartisan way is better for the people of Colorado than the Democratic way or the Republican way.

With their majority in the House in 2011 and 2012, the Republicans could, and did, veto all manner of spending. In a time of tight budgets, some cutbacks were necessary. But like the car owner who doesn’t change the oil, the Republicans weren’t performing the required maintenance for the government that serves the people of Colorado. And because of it they lost their House majority.

Rather than learn their lesson and work across the aisle in 2013 to become constructive partners and regain their credibility with the public, the Republicans sulked. They pouted. They adopted “no” as a legislative strategy.

We hope that in the 2014 session we see a reinvigorated Republican Party, one that’s eager to engage in constructive dialogue. The paint is surely dry; they can step out of the ideological corner they’ve painted themselves into and lend a much more active hand to the business of crafting policy for the people of Colorado. We look forward to, and will work hard to establish, a strong bipartisan effort on behalf of the residents of Colorado in the 2014 session.

Dickey Lee Hullinghorst is majority leader of the state House of Representatives and represents House District 10 in Boulder. Dan Pabon is assistant majority leader and represents House District 4 in Denver.

That headline is absolutely correct and did they ever tale car of “business”, especially the rural electric companies, farmers, and any other business that pays taxes.

Mountain Man

“We started by promoting job growth. We ensured that more of our taxpayer
dollars will stay in Colorado, supporting Colorado businesses and
creating jobs for Coloradans, not companies and workers out of state or
overseas.”

Did Magpul get the memo?

milehisnk

This author is a complete moron. This legislative session was a complete disaster for Colorado. They promote the victim mentality by attempting to disarm us. They chased away thousands of jobs and hundred of millions of dollars that could be spent (and taxed) here. They have chased away hunting and outdoors tourism dollars with their unconstitutional firearm owner control legislation, people who will hunt in Wyoming and Nebraska and Utah instead. They have driven us into the ground, and now there are two legislators who are getting the boot in September because of it, one being the Senate President…a well-earned swift-kick at that.

Good riddance to blue rubbish anti-Constitution legislators. Now if only we can get Rap Sheet Rhonda Fields and Governor Bloominlooper out and the rest of the liberal morons…

Vincent Carroll is The Denver Post's editorial page editor. He has been writing commentary on politics and public policy in Colorado since 1982 and was originally with the Rocky Mountain News, where he was also editor of the editorial pages until that newspaper gave up the ghost in 2009.

Guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 150 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address, day and evening phone numbers, and may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.

To reach the Denver Post editorial page by phone: 303-954-1331

Posts by Category

Idea Log Archives

About The Idea Log

The idea log The Denver Post editorial board shares commentary and opinion on issues of interest to Coloradans.